wanting to start yoga at home

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I've done a little yoga before and i would like to get back into it to help with stress and flexibility. I was needing help to find a good but cheap mat i can buy and either dvds or something i can find online to do yoga from home

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the cheapest mats ive seen are by Gaiam. im 5'0, 115lbs. I bought the 5mm mat (which are around $30, if you can buy it when it's on sale) and it supports my knees/palms very well when im doing my practice. The 3mm mats (which are $22) are okay for someone who's just starting out on yoga. And as far as yoga classes, I strictly watch candace's videos. She's the only instructor I found that is very well detailed in her videos. I always feel great when i practice any of her routines.

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She's the only instructor I found that is very well detailed in her videos...

As much as I am a fan of Candace, there are other instructional videos available that provide different instructional content. For example, if I'm interested in learning a specific pose and need to get a quick break down of every aspect of the pose, I will take advantage of Kino's videos. She's extremely profilific, with seemingly hundreds of short (most are under four minutes) videos. In each one she details where every body part should go and in a way that both newbies and advanced practitioners can easily follow. The only negative is that she talks very quickly (but having grown up in the New York area isn't a problem for me).

Uaing a search engine, I'll type the pose and her name, for example, I'd search "lotus pose kino" and then click the videos tab.

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I would also take advantage of the videos from Yoga Journal and Ekhart Yoga (good for alignment). Ekhart also breaks down poses very well. I second @LarryD517 about using Kino's videos for poses, especially the very difficult poses. Yoga with Adrienne is also great for beginners. I find her friendly and approachable. She puts in a carefree tone to yoga and I appreciate that. I also love reading Yoga International for informative articles about anatomy, culture, issues, etc.

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As much as I am a fan of Candace, there are other instructional videos available that provide different instructional content. For example, if I'm interested in learning a specific pose and need to get a quick break down of every aspect of the pose, I will take advantage of Kino's videos. She's extremely profilific, with seemingly hundreds of short (most are under four minutes) videos. In each one she details where every body part should go and in a way that both newbies and advanced practitioners can easily follow. The only negative is that she talks very quickly (but having grown up in the New York area isn't a problem for me).

Uaing a search engine, I'll type the pose and her name, for example, I'd search "lotus pose kino" and then click the videos tab.

Agree, different teachers have there own strong points, and explain things in different ways. There is a lot to be gained from drawing from multiple sauces.

Sometimes there is a tendency to consider one sauce/thing etc as best. This really doesn’t work as reality is not a liner scale, where higher skilled individuals can do everything plus more. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

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What is the one important thing that a hedgehog knows? I never read this essay before, thanks for sharing!

Interestingly, as I learned from different teachers and seemingly received conflicting cues, I got a bit exasperated. I probably was looking for the hedgehog approach - just teach me so I get it right! Now I realize the different methods focused on a different part of the body (elongating or engaging a muscle), so it didn't mean necessarily one was more right than the other. Our bodies change too, so, just keep an open mind and see which styles or cues work best for you.

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What is the one important thing that a hedgehog knows? I never read this essay before, thanks for sharing!

OK, some fun trivia! I answered my own question by looking up the essay:

Quote

There is a line among the fragments of the Greek poet Archilochus which says: 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing'. Scholars have differed about the correct interpretation of these dark words, which may mean no more than that the fox, for all his cunning, is defeated by the hedgehog's one defense.

Then, when I asked my husband if he knew what the hedgehog knows and that the fox doesn't, and he said "Are you talking about that reddit thread? It's so sad for the hedgehog." Sadly, the hedgehog does need to learn more than one big thing. I just found it so coincidental that the same animal pair references were posted around the same time in different forums when I never heard this comparison before.

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I'd never heard of the hedgehog and fox fable, but it's certainly an interesting one.

I'd always hesitated to mention other online yoga instructors here - I couldn't help but feel I was being rude -, but while we're at it I have to admit I'm a huge fan of http://www.doyogawithme.com. Tons and tons of videos, short and long classes for all levels, a number of different instructors on different styles. It helps me keep my practice well-rounded, as well as introduce me to, well, different ways of doing things. Sometimes the cues we get for doing a pose just won't work with our bodies, but someone else might have the key.

I think it's best to try a number of things and see what works best for us at a given moment in time. I know I've tried classes with online instructors that were a complete disaster, only for me to try them again years later and end up loving them.

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What is the one important thing that a hedgehog knows? I never read this essay before, thanks for sharing!

I'm aware of the concept because veritasium did a youtube vidieo on it, I haven't read the essay ether. Also you've answered your own question

Hildegard There are many veriables involved in weather or not someone will get value out of something at a given time, and as you say peoples needs/tastes etc do change over time. No single entity can cater for the needs/tastes of everyone, that's why collaboration is so powerful.